This morning, someone on Facebook posted a link about the "Top 100 Things To Do In Milwaukee." Because I'm not the best self-guided explorer, I really enjoy lists like this that help me realize all the possibilities that are out there. Not only that, but there are many things on this list I'd never think of on my own, so it's fun to have someone else do the work and give me ideas of new things to try. :) Not that you necessarily care, but I have pulled out the items on the list that I've done up to this point. Sadly, my list only contains seven things. SEVEN. Out of 100. Wow. I was honest, though. My list could've been a little bigger, but if I only did "part" of the activity (i.e., attend a few days of Summerfest rather than all 11 days like the list suggests), then I didn't include it. That being said, it looks like I have a lot of work to do to try and accomplish a few more things on this "bucket list" of sorts! For your convenience, I've included links to each of the items/places so that you could learn more in case any of these places or activities interest you. How fun!
Here are the things I have done... (Feel free to look at the list as you read my activities. Might help you visualize things a little better!)
20. Enjoy lunch at the Public Market.
28. Admire the animals of the County Zoo.
29. Enjoy a morning cup of Joe at Alterra.
44. Rock out at the Rave.
48. Break out the brats and the booze while tailgating at Miller Park.
61. Tour the Lakefront Brewery.
85. Check out the amazing creativity at the annual MIAD senior exhibition. (I used to work here, so this is an obvious one. But I agree with its appearance on the list. An AMAZING event!)
In addition to the things I've done, there are also a few things I could/should do simply because I know where they are and have been curious about them since moving here. Numbers 63 and 81 are things I discovered while working at MIAD, and numbers 84 and 91 are both shockingly close to my apartment. Why wouldn't I go?!
63. Do the impossible - drink and exercise at the same time with the Pedal Tavern.
81. Laugh your ass off at Comedy Sportz.
84. Grab a late night cone at Leon's Frozen Custard.
91. Lounge and listen to music at Chill on the Hill.
Lastly, there are a few things on the list that I simply want to do for one reason or another. They include scuba diving in Lake Michigan, kite surfing, soaking up the sun on Bradford Beach, going on a paddleboat in Veterans Park Lagoon, and going on a fancy date at Lake Park Bistro. Quite honestly, I want to try and do as many of the things on the list as possible, but for now, these are just a few of the things that really jumped out at me! Again, take a look at the list. Any things YOU would want to do? Feel free to share! :)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Superhero.
(Entry #2 today...) I typically shy away from sad posts, but something happened in our small community earlier this month that warrants acknowledgement. A little less than a month ago, Jamison Kampmeyer (a police officer, EMT, and volunteer firefighter in Colby) was killed while fighting a fire at the Abbotsford theatre. While I didn't know Jamison overly well, the news hit me hard. I mean hard. I cried so much, and I just couldn't help but think about how much of a tragedy it was and how often we take people in those professions for granted. Not that anyone is probably overly interested, but I thought I'd share the story of that day for me. It's almost too eerie for words.
I spent that weekend in La Crosse, and on Sunday morning, L and I were laying there talking about movies we enjoy. It's not that uncommon for us to have random conversations like that, and as we talked about my expansive movie collection, I said that despite owning the movie, one movie I always watch when it's on TV (or throw in my DVD player on a lazy day) is Ladder 49. In case you're unfamiliar, it's a movie centered around a man named Jack who becomes a firefighter with the NYFD and ultimately loses his life while battling a blaze. I was telling L how there are certain parts of that movie that just break my heart, namely the part where the infamous red car pulls up outside Jack's house and his wife realizes what happened to him. The eerie part I mentioned earlier? Well, L and I were having this conversation on the day Jamison was killed, but BEFORE the fire had even started that day. Is that not crazy? Maybe it's just me, but it kind of gave me chills because I had just been talking about the fact that my dad is a firefighter and that I rarely had "bad" thoughts when he'd leave for a fire. All of this was part of our conversation through pure coincidence. So odd. Later that day, my mom sent me a text to let me know that the fire had started, and my question back to her was, "Are you serious?! Is there anyone inside?" I was thinking of the customers when I asked that question, and even still, I really didn't have much of a passing thought about the fire other than the fact that I was sad the Abby Theater was burning down. I did ask if my dad was at the fire, but fortunately they were heading out of town for a convention. Anyway, a few hours later, I got the call to tell me that Jamison was killed in the fire. I was still with L, and all I could do was cry. Fortunately, he was very supportive, and sadly, this is not the first time he's been with me when I found out about something tragic like this. In July of last year, I was with L when I found out that I lost my dear friend Andy. Not fun to experience those moments at all, but it's nice to be with someone who is caring, comforting, and supportive. The news hit me (and A LOT of people) really hard, and I still think about Jamison and his family on a daily basis. Such a young, vibrant life, taken way too soon. I've included some pictures below, none of which are mine, but all of which I got from a Facebook page honoring him. (I apologize for not crediting all of the photos accordingly, but rest assured, I am only using them for the purpose of this entry.)
Rest in peace, Jamison. You are loved and will never be forgotten.
I spent that weekend in La Crosse, and on Sunday morning, L and I were laying there talking about movies we enjoy. It's not that uncommon for us to have random conversations like that, and as we talked about my expansive movie collection, I said that despite owning the movie, one movie I always watch when it's on TV (or throw in my DVD player on a lazy day) is Ladder 49. In case you're unfamiliar, it's a movie centered around a man named Jack who becomes a firefighter with the NYFD and ultimately loses his life while battling a blaze. I was telling L how there are certain parts of that movie that just break my heart, namely the part where the infamous red car pulls up outside Jack's house and his wife realizes what happened to him. The eerie part I mentioned earlier? Well, L and I were having this conversation on the day Jamison was killed, but BEFORE the fire had even started that day. Is that not crazy? Maybe it's just me, but it kind of gave me chills because I had just been talking about the fact that my dad is a firefighter and that I rarely had "bad" thoughts when he'd leave for a fire. All of this was part of our conversation through pure coincidence. So odd. Later that day, my mom sent me a text to let me know that the fire had started, and my question back to her was, "Are you serious?! Is there anyone inside?" I was thinking of the customers when I asked that question, and even still, I really didn't have much of a passing thought about the fire other than the fact that I was sad the Abby Theater was burning down. I did ask if my dad was at the fire, but fortunately they were heading out of town for a convention. Anyway, a few hours later, I got the call to tell me that Jamison was killed in the fire. I was still with L, and all I could do was cry. Fortunately, he was very supportive, and sadly, this is not the first time he's been with me when I found out about something tragic like this. In July of last year, I was with L when I found out that I lost my dear friend Andy. Not fun to experience those moments at all, but it's nice to be with someone who is caring, comforting, and supportive. The news hit me (and A LOT of people) really hard, and I still think about Jamison and his family on a daily basis. Such a young, vibrant life, taken way too soon. I've included some pictures below, none of which are mine, but all of which I got from a Facebook page honoring him. (I apologize for not crediting all of the photos accordingly, but rest assured, I am only using them for the purpose of this entry.)
Rest in peace, Jamison. You are loved and will never be forgotten.
Jamison hard at work.
Simple, but true.
A glimpse of the emergency vehicles lined up for the procession.
The truck that carried Jamison to his final resting place.
Hundreds of squad cars lined up to honor Jamison.
Jamison and his son. How amazingly fitting.
(Out of order, but this is how I choose to remember him.)
(Out of order, but this is how I choose to remember him.)
Girlfriends.
My goodness. One month since I last posted on the blog. ONE MONTH. How does life fly by like that?! I apologize to the few faithful readers I have. Your patience is much appreciated, and provided you still even check my blog (ha), I'm so happy you care about my life. :) Anyway, I'm sadly home from work early today because I don't feel very well, but on the plus side, it does allow me some much needed time in bed where I can still conveniently blog. To be honest, I'm not even sure where to begin. Lots can happen in a month, and lots HAS happened. I'm going to do my best to just capture a few highlights and major happenings that have taken place, and hopefully you care enough to follow along. That being said, I'll probably do several entries in a short period of time. Bare with me! :)
Okay, so onto the point of this entry. About a month ago, I made the trek to Wausau to visit the bestie (Erin). Being an accountant, this time of year is very difficult for her to travel. So, since I miss her dearly and our visits are sadly much less frequent these days, I was thrilled to find a weekend that worked for me to head over and visit her. On top of that, Bean (Jill) also came over, so we had ourselves a fun little girls weekend. Much needed and much enjoyed! We spent a lot of time just chillin' and catching up, but we did go out to a few bars on Saturday night just because we could. ;) Below are a few pictures from our night out. A good time to say the least! Not seeing these girls very often makes me appreciate it so much more when I do, and fortunately, I think I may get to see them this coming weekend for alumni. Can't wait!
Okay, so onto the point of this entry. About a month ago, I made the trek to Wausau to visit the bestie (Erin). Being an accountant, this time of year is very difficult for her to travel. So, since I miss her dearly and our visits are sadly much less frequent these days, I was thrilled to find a weekend that worked for me to head over and visit her. On top of that, Bean (Jill) also came over, so we had ourselves a fun little girls weekend. Much needed and much enjoyed! We spent a lot of time just chillin' and catching up, but we did go out to a few bars on Saturday night just because we could. ;) Below are a few pictures from our night out. A good time to say the least! Not seeing these girls very often makes me appreciate it so much more when I do, and fortunately, I think I may get to see them this coming weekend for alumni. Can't wait!
A little pre-bar shot. (I didn't like it;).
Goofing around.
Typical for me and Erin. ;)
Me and Bean!
Oh, Erin... ;)